To Return to What Once Was
by rachael.meow
Summary: A kitsune in modern time longing for days gone truly understands the phrase time stops for no man. After living the last 500 years wandering the world, she returns to Japan, discovering an opportunity to return to the world she misses, however things will never be as simple as she hopes for.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any associated characters, only my OC Chihiro and her plot line.

"Please be sure to remove all personal belongings from the overhead compartments and we thank you for flying with Delta Airlines. Please enjoy your trip and we hope to see you soon." It was the same thing Chihiro had heard countless times, at this point she could recite just about any and every announcement made by flight attendants, but that's what happens when you travel endlessly. A soft sigh escaped her as she shuffled out of the plane with the other passengers, ignoring the bickering wives and crying children, the businessmen who instantly were on their phones too. She just continued on through the tunnel into the stuffy airport eager to get outside and see her home for the first time in…well she honestly wasn't too sure how long it had been since she left Japan. Was it four or five hundred years now? Oh well, it didn't really matter, it wasn't the Japan she left behind that was for sure.

The saying time waits for no man was one of the truest she had ever heard. Chihiro had watched the world change at an alarming rate. Humans that were once fearful, weak creatures had suddenly become the majority, once living in small scattered settlements, now their s

prawling cities were everywhere, teeming with an over abundance of life. She missed forests and clean rivers, being able to wander for days without seeing a single human, now she couldn't seem to escape them.

Finally outside the stuffy overcrowded airport she climbed into the first empty taxi she saw, kindly asking the driver to take her to a hotel just outside the main city.

_Kami, how this place has changed,_ she thought to herself, watching the city speed past through the window.

* * *

It had been two days since Chihiro returned to Japan and if she was being honest with herself, she wasn't entirely sure why she did. So much had changed, not a single person – demon or otherwise that she had known was still alive. Even in the privacy of her hotel room where she could drop her disguise, she felt no youki nearby. There was only one place she had been interested in visiting but didn't quite have the courage to do so, instead she passed the time staring out the window at the bustling city below, six tails swishing anxiously behind her.

"Okay Chihiro, today is the day. No more procrastinating," she mumbled to herself as she turned from the window, briefly catching her reflection in the mirror perched atop the dresser she stopped once more to watch her fox magic at work. Vibrant red hair slowly darkened to black, pointed ears rounding out at the tips, tails vanishing, green eyes shifting to brown until an average girl stared back at her. It was now or never. Briskly leaving the hotel she made her way through crowded streets only stopping once to ask for directions and it seemed all too quickly she arrived at her destination.

In front of her now, standing tall and proud was a red torri gate, a massive set of stone stairs laid behind it, another gate perched at the top. Anxiety coursed through her, why on earth was she here? What did she have to gain from this? Closure? Grief? Maybe absolutely nothing at all. Chihiro shook her head as if that would banish these thoughts from her mind and began climbing the stairs. Before she even reached the top a strange feeling passed over her, something that felt like magic. A quick glance around her to make sure no one was watching, Chihiro suddenly shrunk in size, fur sprouting over her leaving a medium sized red fox standing in her place. In this form she seemed to find a new bout of bravery and dashed up the remaining stairs.

Nostalgia smacked her like a brick as small green eyes landed on the Goshinboku much larger now than the last time she had seen it, but something else quickly caught her attention. A teenaged girl was exiting a small, almost dilapidated building off to the side, chastising herself for foolishly forgetting a textbook. Quickly hiding in a bush as to not make her presence known, Chihiro watched as the same girl rushed out of the residential house and back into the small building. The same magical feeling from before washed over her again. Curiosity gaining the best of her, the fox darted towards the building, sliding the door open just enough to slip in with her nose. A well? _How curious, but where did the human go?_ Leaping quickly down the stairs a he circled the well, sniffing apprehensively. Her sharp senses could faintly pick up traces of the magic she felt, but were overpowered with the scent of the teenager, as well as minute traces of another all too familiar scent. That's impossible..my nose must be fooling me.

Finding nothing else out of the ordinary the fox slipped back out of the well house and began to cautiously make her way to the Goshinboku. A sense of serenity washed over her the closer she got to the massive tree but it was quickly replaced with deep grief as her gaze traveled up the trunk to rest on the large weathered scar. Had she been in her human form tears would have been forming and for that she was grateful to be a fox in that moment. _You damn fool…you should have known a human couldn't love you, that she would only betray you. That's what you taught me so why?!_ In her minds eye Chihiro could still clearly see the gorgeous white haired boy she had fallen in love with all those years ago. Her stomach clenched at the memory of this golden eyes on her, his fanged smile as they joked around together. She could still remember the look in his _eyes_ when his opinions of the priestess changed from simply wanting the Shikon no Tama to actually being in love with her. The grief was quickly replaced with anger. Anger towards the damn priestess that tricked him into loving her only to seal him to this damn tree. Anger towards the dumb Inu that either couldn't see or wouldn't acknowledge Chihiro's own love for him, that he never went to search for her when she left him in that human village to be with his priestess. And then the anger was washed away by a deep-seeded loneliness.

Longevity was a blessing and a curse. No one wants to die, to live forever is a widespread dream among humans, but they never stop to consider the loneliness that accompanies it. To watch everything you know and love disappear, to have no lasting connections with those around you, to travel to the ends of the world and back to keep your secret. The loneliness becomes almost unbearable at times. Many times in her life Chihiro had wished she had died five hundred years ago because then she never would have had to face the crippling loneliness that lived inside her now. At this the fox shook her head again to rid herself of these thoughts. Inuyasha was gone and dead, she lived on and that was that. She would continue to live on for well, she wasn't sure about that either, but it didn't matter. Right now she was content to curl up and sleep under the Goshinboku and wait until she felt that magical feeling again. She knew it had something to do with that girl and the well house and she was determined to figure out exactly what it was.

**Just a quick author's note here! Thank you for taking the time to read this, it's been so long since I have had the inspiration to write anything, and it seems rewatching Inuyasha has given me some ideas! This story will be a mixture of canon and AU, it will be a love story at some point, but with who I shall keep a secret for now. Please, please if you enjoyed this or have any criticism, constructive or otherwise, leave a review! I want to hear back from you, the readers, so I know what you like and where to improve! Also I do not have a beta reader so any little typos or grammatical errors you see, feel free to point them put so I can correct them! This will be a bit of a slow burn I warn you, these first few chapters I have planned out we don't get much verbal dialogue from Chihiro, but it doesn't stay that way I promise! Again thank you so much and please review, I look forward to hearing from you! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer - i do not own Inuyasha or anything from/in Inuyasha, only my OC Chihiro**

Days came and went as Chihiro waited for the girl to return. Most of her time was spent under the Goshinboku, but restless she would often find herself pacing around the well. At some point a little boy, whose name she learned was Souta discovered the fox hanging around. Initially he was surprised to see her, and she could smell the stench of fear on him, but over time he became a sort of companion to ease her loneliness and boredom.

It started slowly, one morning as he left for school Chihiro decided she would follow him to the stairs, and when she could smell his scent grow stronger as he made his way back up the same stairs in the evening she would be waiting at the top for him. He began greeting her each time, calling her Little Kit, his nickname for her. On the fifth morning, before he descended the stairs he crouched down and gave her a few light scratches between her ears, earning a few excited yips and a lick to the cheek in return. His delighted laughter was like music to her ears. Chihiro had always had a large soft spot in her heart for kids.

The boy began leaving her scraps of meat from the family meals, for which she was grateful but didn't necessarily need. The old man was the next one to warm up to her. Every afternoon he came and swept the grounds around the shrine before resting on the bench below the Goshinboku. Feeling particularly friendly that day, Chihiro left her usual spot under the tree and hopped onto the bench next to him. Her sudden appearance startled the old man, and had she been human she would have laughed aloud. He himself began to laugh at his own reaction.

This became another way for her to pass the time. Every day the two would sit on the bench, both staring up into the branches of the massive tree above. He as well began to pet her softly on the head, talking to her as if she could understand him. _If he only knew,_ she inwardly laughed to herself.

Days turned into two weeks and Chihiro felt her impatience growing. She had taken to sleeping in the rafters above the well to keep a constant eye on it. Just as she had began to feel like she would give up, the strange sensation she was waiting for passed over her. Green eyes snapped to the well to see a pinkish purple aura emerging from it. As quickly as it came, it was gone, followed by a large backpack being thrown up and over the edge to land on the dirt floor with a resounding thud. It was followed by the teenaged girl heaving herself over the edge, grumbling to herself about studying for a test, that jewel shards could wait, and something about someone being impatient. As soon as she had grabbed her bag and exited the building, the door slamming shut behind her, Chihiro jumped down from her perch, darted down the stairs and circled the well, sniffing the air. She knew now there was no way her nose had played tricks on her before. The girl reeked of Inuyasha.

Not giving herself any time to think about it or hesitate, Chihiro shifted into her human form and jumped down the well. She half expected to just land at the bottom, but was pleasantly surprised when she found herself floating softly through and ethereal rift. It didn't take long for her to be deposited gently on the ground. A curious look at the ground below her, then the sky above her told Chihiro exactly where, no, when she was.

The stupid well she had been watching for two weeks, was the damn Bone Eater well. Tears of joy formed in her eyes as she jumped to the outer edge of the well. Those tears began to freely roll down her cheeks as she took in the all too familiar surrounding of the land she once ran away from. The fields around the well held so many memories for her, some good, a few utterly heart breaking.

Slowly she morphed into her true fox form, about the size of a modern day German Shepherd, six tails swishing happily behind her, fur as red as blood. Jumping down she made her way through the forest before coming to a stop in front of a younger Goshinboku. The same scar was there as in the modern world, only less weathered, fresher looking_. Inuyasha must have been freed, that's the only thing that makes sense,_ she thought to herself. How else would she have smelled him on the girl earlier?

Following the all too familiar path Chihiro made her way to the forest edge, just close enough to peer over the village. She could have sat there for hours watching the humble villagers go about their daily business, she only gave herself a few minutes though. The steady breeze was suffocating her in Inuyasha's scent and she didn't enjoy the pain and memories it brought. It took her nearly a century to get over him, but it seemed her heart merely let her think she was completely passed those feelings.

After just a few more moments of watching the village a he turned and made her way back to the well, if she was going to stay for good she would need to ditch her modern clothes.

* * *

What felt like an eternity but was really only a few hours, Chihiro made her way back up the stone stairs leading to the shrine. She had went and purchased a beautiful emerald green yukata with frolicking foxes embroidered in golden thread with a matching golden obi sash. She checked out of her hotel room, ditched her suitcase of clothes in a donation box, aside from what she had been wearing, those just went in the garbage, and given the last of her money to a street peddler.

Now back in front of the well she found she was oddly anxious. She spent so long dreaming of the olden days when she could roam free with no disguise, the occasional battle against another demon, harmless tricks against humans, things she had to give up as time kept moving.

For the second time in two weeks she told herself it was now or never and made her final jump through the well. Again that ethereal glow surrounded her, filling her with a sense of peace. Once Chihiro emerged from the other side she dropped her disguise, relishing in the feel of her tails softly swaying behind her, running her fingers through her deep red hair that had to be brown for so long, letting her youki flow freely.

She leisurely made her way back to the edge of the forest and perched herself on a nice sturdy tree branch to gaze at the village from. However her peaceful moment halted the second her green eyes landed on an all too familiar red outfit. Inuyasha sat atop one of the many hits, eyes closed, face turned up towards the sky. She knew he sensed her when those golden eyes snapped open, had whipping in her direction. All he caught was a glimpse of red hair and tails as she jumped down from her spot and sped away through the forest.

Knowing he was faster than her and she wouldn't be able to her away on foot, Chihiro used her fox fire almost like one would a magic carpet and flew through the forest at an alarming speed. She didn't stop until she knew she surely wasn't being followed and was a great distance away from the little village. Was it cowardly, most definitely. But she was no where near ready to face him, the risk of her love for him taking over was something she didn't want to chance. So she kept going, this time on foot, enjoying the feel of the wind in her hair and the grass under her bare feet. A reunion could wait for another day, if she didn't avoid him completely that is.

* * *

**So here's chapter two! Again, thank you for reading, and if you seen any odd typos or grammatical errors please let me know so I can fix them! Reviews are always welcome!**

**Guest: I'll be honest, I'm not too sure is this is going to be an Inuyasha x oc or Sesshōmaru x oc, I can for sure tell you it will not have Sesshōmaru x Rin. I have her as a tagged character though because she is going to eventually hold a very special spot in Chihiro's heart.**


	3. Chapter 3

Several weeks had come to pass since Chihiro had returned to the Feudal Era. Most of the days passed peacefully filled with traveling, reacquainting herself with the land. Currently she was resting next to a small river in a small clearing inside a forest. She laid there, her right hand dangling over the rivers edge feeling the water course between her fingers, her left arm crossed under her head, ankles crossed, lazily watching the clouds drift by through the break in the trees. Spending time like this was so much better than going on dates with rich old men playing arm candy for them to show off.

With a small content sigh she let her eyes drift shut allowing a half sleep to take over. Unfortunately dozing off seemed to be the wrong thing to do, her senses weren't on high alert and it was because of this she didn't sense a demon approaching until it was much too close for her liking. Just as she could hear it breaking through the bushes on the other side of the river from her, Chihiro jumped up from her laying position, landing in a crouch a few feet away from where she had just been. The youki she was sensing didn't seem all that strong, but she knew better than to underestimate another demon. Especially another kitsune, now that she had caught it's scent.

The fellow kitsune was small, definitely not a threat she realized once she laid eyes on it. He couldn't have been much older than fifty years, still practically a baby. His teal eyes widened upon seeing her, mouth dropping in shock once he took notice of her tails. Just as Chihiro was about to drop her guard she caught several underlying scents on him, one of them being Inuyasha. The young kitsune seemed like he was about to speak, but Chihiro gave him no chance to do so. Quickly she dashed off into the trees trying to put as much distance between herself and the small fox as fast as possible.

* * *

Shippo was shocked to say the least when he popped pit of the bushes, Kagome's water container in hand. He had been so excited to have been given something to do because honestly everyone in the pack didn't rely on him for much of anything, with him being the little guy and all. In his excitement he had let his guard down, so focused on the smell of the nearby water that he didn't smell the female kitsune across the river until he was already looking at her. He noted she must have masked her youki because even then being so close to her he couldn't sense her presence at all.

Excitement coursed through him, it had been such a long time since he had been around another fox, especially an older one judging by the number of her tails. Shippo had so many questions but before he could utter a single syllable the female was gone. Knowing he'd never catch up to her he sighed, filling the water container then headed back to the group that was resting not too far away.

"Guys, you'll never guess what I saw across the river when I went to go get water!" He called excitedly, practically dancing as he came bounding out of the bushes.

"What's that Shippo?" Kagome asked with a kind smile on her face.

"If it wasn't a jewel shard, I don't care…" The hanyou's usual grumpy attitude didn't faze the small demon who was now handing Kagome her water.

"It was a Blood Fox! I had heard they were all wiped out a long time ago, but I definitely saw one! She was so pretty, but she ran away before I could ask her anything." This piqued Inuyasha's curiosity.

"What's a Blood Fox?" Came Kagome's reply.

"They were a clan of fox demons that were wiped out about a hundred years ago. They were called Blood Foxes because their hair and tails were blood red, sometimes with white tips on the tails as they got older. I didn't think there were any left, no one has seen any since then." Shippo easily answered, his father has told him the tale of the Blood Fox clan as a warning against the Panther demons who had wiped them out.

Without saying a word Inuyasha took off in the direction of the river, easily picking up a scent he knew all too well. At top speed he raced through the trees, taking giant leaps through the air as the smell got stronger. It wasn't long before he saw red hair and white tipped tails running below him. Pushing off a tree branch to give himself an extra bit of momentum, Inuyasha came crashing down in front of the female demon, sliding backwards on the balls of his feet to slow himself to a stop. The demoness slid to a stop herself a few feet in front of him an odd expression on her familiar face, something like a mix of shock, pain, and relief all mashed together. Inuyasha hid his own shock behind a cocky smirk._ Why does she have so many tails?_ He wondered, _She's barely two hundred years old._

"Why even bother trying to run, you know I've always been faster than you…Chihiro." Hearing his voice sent a pang of sadness through her heart, emotions she thought long gone attempting to claw their way to the surface. Without saying a word she allowed her fox fire to engulf her body and flew off faster than the Inu could keep up with.

"Hey! Get back here, Chihiro!" Inuyasha called after her, though he knew it was in vain. Chihiro had always been a master at avoiding confrontation when she felt like it. With a sigh he crossed his arms, hands tucked into his sleeves and stared off in the direction she had vanished, a pensive look across his face. After a moment of silently questioning why the only friend he had ever known until recently would run off without a single word to him, he turned back towards his pack's camp, throwing one last glance over his shoulder before slowly making his way back. Oh, how he was not looking forward to explaining himself to an irate Kagome.

* * *

Chihiro came to an abrupt stop many miles from where she had her run in with Inuyasha. This was not good, oh no, definitely not good. She may have escaped this time, but if she ran into him again Chihiro knew there would be no getting away without explaining herself to him. As much as she tried to deny it, she knew deep in her heart she would always love Inuyasha, it was not something that would ever go away. But Chihiro was determined, she would learn to move passed it or push the feelings down and lock them away forever.

Resting on her hands and knees, her clawed fingers clenched into the grass below her, tears blurring her vision. Why the hell did she think it was ever a good idea to come back through that stupid well? _Because you were more miserable in the future_, a small voice in the back of her mind rang out.

"Shut up…" She growled quietly to herself. A breeze swept by then, her long locks blowing out of her face with it. Her head snapped up, gaze on the north, the direction the breeze came from as it carried the scent of human fear and the disgusting scent of a centipede demon to her. A child's scream reached her ears and that was all Chihiro needed before she took off again.

Both scents were strong so she knew they were close and it felt like only seconds before the horrid creature was in her sight, looking down upon a small human girl like it had found it's next meal.

"Oh no you don't, you bastard!" Chihiro yelled, leaping into the air once she was close enough. The centipede turned it's attention on the new comer, just in time to catch sharp claws to the face.

Chihiro smirked in satisfaction as she felt her claws tear through the demon, splitting him in two. The disgusting demon fell to the ground, turning to dust and drifting away on the breeze.

"Thank you miss, you saved Rin!" Came the child's voice and Chihiro landed in a crouch before her. The genuine smile across the girl's face warmed her heart.

"You're very welcome, are you hurt?" She asked softly not wanting to scare the child away.

"No, Rin is okay!" Came her joyful reply.

"And are you Rin? What are you doing out here all alone?" Chihiro couldn't help but to smile at the sweet human before her. Everything about her was absolutely adorable, from the little ponytail on top of her head, her yellow and orange checkered kosode, to her bright and cheerful demeanor.

"Yes, I am Rin! I was looking for food while I wait for Lord Sesshōmaru to return."

A small sense of dread washed over Chihiro and a shiver went down her spine at the mention of Lord Sesshōmaru. She had never met the daiyoukai, but she did know he was Inuyasha'a older half brother, and a formidable demon at that. During her travels alone she had also heard stories of him destroying entire armies on his own, as well as his hatred for hanyou and humans. So why did he have a human child traveling with him?

"Ah, I see. Well, how about I keep an eye on you while you get something to eat and then I'll walk you back to your camp? Just in case another demon comes along. How does that sound?"

"That would be great, thank you Ms…." Rin faltered, realizing the woman had never introduced herself.

"I'm Chihiro, but you can call me Chi. Only special people get to call me that." Rin's already bright smile seemed to get even brighter at this, Chihiro's tails swayed happily at the small girl's excitement.

"Okay Ms. Chi, thank you! Oh wow! You have tails!" Rin exclaimed, taking notice of them.

"Why yes I do, that's because I'm a kitsune."

"Why do you have so many?" Chihiro chuckled at the question, watching Rin begin to gather berries growing on the bushes around them.

"Well, when I was a little kit, I didn't have any, but in my clan, you grow one tail for every one hundred years you have been alive. So, now I have six."

"That's really cool. They're so pretty, I wish I had a tail."

"Thank you sweetie, but I think you are perfect just how you are. Are you ready to head Back? That's an awful lot of fruit you have there." Rin smiled and nodded before walking back in the direction of her camp. Standing, Chihiro followed, a feeling of unease settling in her stomach at the idea of the great daiyokai returning while she was with his ward.

They didn't walk long, just to the forests edge where they came upon a clearing. A large two headed dragon was there, happily resting in the grass, one head lifted as Rin called out a greeting to it before she settled down just a ways from it near a small burned stack of wood, a former campfire.

The two passed the time making small talk, singing songs and telling stories of their adventures. It seemed some hours passed before Chihiro felt a massive youki approaching. While she appeared calm on the outside as not to startle Rin, on the inside she was completely prepared to jump into action if needed.

* * *

**I hope you guys are starting to enjoy this story, I know its a bit of a slow burn, but it will be worth it! To answer reviewer Guest 2, when Chihiro is thinking "you should have known a human couldn't love you", in front of the Goshinboku, she talking to the memory of Inuyasha. Think of it as going to someone's grave and speaking to them, this is the last place she saw him, so to her it was like a memorial to him. And the "she" that Chihiro references there is Kikyo. **


	4. Apologies Not an Update

**Hey guys, this isn't a proper update YET, but there will be soon. I had some issues with my phone, which is what I'm using to write on. I'm not totally sure what happened, I went to finish a chapter of the Supernatural story I am also writing and EVERYTHING was gone. I had the next several chapters for this story kind of summarized so I had an idea of where I would be taking it, and those all vanished. This was super disheartening and I was too angry to immediately start trying to redo everhhinf I have lost, but I am working on a chapter. I promise. It's just taking me a bit to fully get back into the swing of writing, so I apologize from the bottom of my heart and thank you for your patience!**


	5. Chapter 4

Chihiro's first encounter of the great Daiyokai Sesshōmaru was fresh on her mind, despite several weeks having passed. He was, to put it simply, dangerously gorgeous. The killing intent that flowed off of him when he first laid eyes on her at his camp was overwhelming, the only thing she could bring herself to do was drop into a low bow, forehead resting on the grass, hands poised in front of her, tails cowardly tucking around her side. Chihiro was so positive he was going to strike her down without any hesitation until Rin had jumped up, excitedly telling her Lord that Chihiro had saved her. The kitsune was beyomd grateful for Rin's explanation, she had no intentions of dying just after returning home.

She chuckled lightly to herself, clawed fingers running through her wet hair as she soaked in a hot spring she had came across. Despite centuries having passed for her, this time had always felt like home to her, the modern era was too noisy and filled with unpleasant scents from humans and all their creations. A content sign escaped her lips, the warm waters easing away minor aches in her muscles. Her peace didn't last long however, a dark demonic force was approaching at a steady pace, the killing intent was nearly palpable despite it's distance. Wasting no time the kitaune slept from the water's warm embrace and donned her kimono, no way was she going to get trapped in a fight naked.

As the presence neared, so did it's scent, Chihiro's nose scrunched in disgust as she caught a whiff – stale blood, decay, and overall body odor overwhelmed her sensitive nose. Whatever it was probably hadn't bathed a day in it's life. The ground below her began to shake with each of the beast's steps, tree branches cracking and snapping until it finally came into view. Before her stood a massive Oni, easily double her own height. Although it had been centuries since Chihiro had a good fight, she didn't let this deter her, instead she crouched down, both hands half curled in front of her claws at the ready.

"I thought I smelled a sweet little fox," the Oni's low grumble of a voice alone made the trees around them quiver, "Just in time, I'm getting hungry."

Chihiro smirked at the disgusting creature, "Catch me if you can," was the only response she gave before she dashed forward and under the Oni's swinging left arm. The moment she was behind it, Chihiro leapt into the air, coming down to land gracefully on the demon's large shoulders. Reaching around it's head she sank her claws into it's face and dragged them through thick flesh, feeling it's eyeballs burst as she cut through them successfully.

Her minor victory was short lived, with an enraged roar the Oni began to whip it's body around violently, it's three fingered hands clutching it's blood soaked face. Chihiro quickly grabbed onto the large white horns protruding from the beast's forehead, holding on for dear life. For a moment she felt like one of the many Americans she had seen riding mechanical bulls, the thought made her chuckle a bit. Hearing her amusement seemed to only anger the Oni further, it's wild movements ceased and it reached back attempting to grab the kitsune.

Anger only leads to sloppy movements and Chihiro took this to her advantage, deftly jumping from her perch on it's shoulders, landing before the demon once more. The Oni clearly wasn't very smart, as it continued to swipe behind itself, despite her no longer being there. Using it's distraction and blindness to her own advantage once more she dashed forward again, claws poised and ready for attack, but with the Oni's sight now gone, it's hearing seemed to have increased to compensate for the loss. Just as she was in it's range, faster than Chihiro could dodge, it's gargantuan arm came swinging down, one of it's claws piercing her side as it's hand collided with her. The impact sent her small frame flying, only coming to a stop just a moment after as she slammed into a tree. The two sudden collisions knocked the wind out of Chihiro, her body dropping limply to the ground as she fought to regain her breath, blood pouring freely from the wound in her side. For a moment the only thing she could hear was her own heart beating loudly in her chest and her choked gasps for air.

* * *

"I sense a jewel shard nearby!" Kagome called out excitedly, every member of their group's head whipped around to look at her, though Inuyasha was the only one to reply, his voice and angry growl.

"Where?!"

"It's coming from the forest up ahead!" Without any warning the hanyou had the girl on his back and took off in a full sprint, Sango, Miroku, and Shippo following on Kirara's back. It wasn't long before Inuyasha exclaimed that he had caught the scent of blood up ahead. Kirara and the hanyou himself picked up their speed in an attempt to get to the source faster.

The group of six were all a little shocked to say the least, at the sight that laid before them. Trees were cracked and splintered, some even completely broken in two. The ground itself had a few large craters scattered about, and the blood Inuyasha and smelled, it seemed to be everywhere. The most shocking of all though, was the sight of a lone kitsune sitting in the middle of it all, the head of an Oni resting in front of her, one of it's horns still clutched in her hand as if she had just finished ripping it from the body.

If they couldn't physically see her chest heaving as she gasped for breath, the group would have most likely thought she was dead, with the way she was hunched over on herself. Her legs were loosely tucked to side, her head hung so far forward that her forehead was nearly touching the ground, the arm that wasn't holding onto the decapitated head hung limply at her side, her tails just as limp and still behind her. To add to it all, nearly am of her was drenched in blood, a mixture of her own and the Oni's, though that was only noticed by the more sensitive noses in the group. Shippo seemed to be the first one brave enough to break the thick silence.

"That's the kitsune I saw at the stream, the Blood Fox….is she the one with the shard Kagome?" His little voice was wrought with worry.

"No. It's in the Oni, in it's back." As she said this she slid from her spot on Inuyasha's back and began walking to the hulking body. With a quick jab of an arrow head, she easily plucked it from the corpse, the shared instantly purifying at her touch. It seemed nobody but the monk noticed the hanyou's silence.

"Inuyasha, are you okay? You've been very quiet."

"Yeah, you guys go on ahead and get back to the path, I'll catch up in a minute."

"Are you sure, Inuyasha?" Asked Sango, a tone of surprise laced her voice.

"I said go on ahead." His tone of finality was all the group needed to head back the way they came, the only one to hesitate being Kagome.

"Inuyasha," she nearly whispered, "Is something the matter?"

"Just go on Kagome, I'll catch up!" Not once did he look at her, his golden eyes locked onto the seemingly half dead kitsune in front of him. Fighting back tears and a surge of jealousy, the human teen turned on her heel and ran off after the rest of their friends.

Only once he was sure Kagome was gone did he finally move. In just a few quick strides he was at Chihiro's side. He had known it was her fighting the moment he caught scent of her blood. But this…this was not what he expected to see at all when he arrived. Before she had vanished from his life, Chihiro had been a formidable opponent, the two of them sparred regularly, and he had lost several times to her, though he had been young and inexperienced in his own defense.

Slowly he crouched down next to her, one of his hands pulled hers away from the Oni's horn, the other ready to catch her as she started to fall backwards, her whole weight having been supported by her grip on the head. Before she even came close to landing in his arms, Chihiro jumped away with a quickness Inuyasha hadn't expected from her weakened state. But now, with her standing a few feet away from him he could actually see the full extent of the damage she had sustained.

* * *

Chihiro could feel her lungs struggling to take in air, one of them had been punctured by a broken rib. Not a single spot on her body didn't scream in pain as she wretched herself away from Inuyasha, every single part of her hurt, from her hair down to her toes and everything in between. She could barely even stand straight, damn it, this was not something she wanted to deal with right now. She managed to keep her feet shoulder width apart for the sake of balance, her left arm hung limply at her side, the shoulder dislocated leaving it useless at the moment, her right hand clutching the injured shoulder, partly from the pain but mostly to keep her torn yukata from falling open.

"What…do you…want?" She managed to choke out, her voice raspy. She wouldn't look up. No, couldn't look up, she was too tired to support her head, so her gaze remained on the blood stained grass beneath her.

"Chihiro, what happened?! Why are you avoiding me!?" She could hear Inuyasha take a step forward and as much as she wanted to take a few steps backwards herself, she couldn't.

"Stay back!" At least her voice came out a little stronger than she was feeling.

"No!" Inuyasha's hands were suddenly on each side of her face, lifting her head and forcing her gaze up to him. "Not until you give me answers, and don't even try to fight me right now, you're too injured to do anything. What the hell is going on?! You have six tails, that's impossible! And where did you go, where have you been?!" Hurt masked with anger seeped through, his voice cracking with it.

Chihiro was having an internal battle. She wanted to run, run so far and so fast but her body simply could not move right now, she needed to heal, but another smaller part of her wanted to just collapse into Inuyasha's familiar scent, erase the smell of the human girl and replace it with her own. But no, she had grown too much to allow herself to fall back into old feelings, she needed to be stronger than this.

"How long has it been since you last saw me, Inuyasha?" She watched the confusion wash over his face

"Just over fifty years, what does that have to do with anything?!"

"Because for me, it's been over six hundred years. That is how I have six tails. You went and fell in love with a human and got yourself pinned to a fucking tree Inuyasha." Chihiro seemed to gain a sudden burst of strength as she began to speak the words she had only ever thought to herself. In a quick movement she pulled away from his grip, taking a few staggering steps backwards, and angry glare smeared across her bloodied and bruised face.

"What was I supposed to do? Sit around and watch you fall in love and play house? You met that damned priestess and suddenly she was your whole world. You were my best friend, the only one I had to consider family. And suddenly you forget about me, because of a HUMAN. You. The one who drilled it into my head to never trust a human!"

"Chihiro, I didn't…you were always still my best friend! Is Kikyo what this is all about?"

"No you idiot! This is about you! I have spent the last six hundred years trying to forget you! I came back here, to this time, because living in the modern world where your new little priestess is from, is awful. But if I knew it would be this hard to avoid you I would have just stayed there!"

"What the hell are you talking about, why would you want to forget me, why would you avoid me?!" She could hear him getting angrier and that only fueled her own anger and pain.

"BECAUSE I WAS IN LOVE WITH YOU, YOU IDIOT! You were just too blinded by that fucking human to see it!" Now the dog was struck silent, eyes wide and mouth gaping. His mouth opened and closed a few times as he tried to reply, but hit brain didn't seem to be able to come up with an actual sentence.

Chihiro didn't give him a chance to say anything. With the last of her remaining strength she engulfed her body in fox fire and flew off faster than he could ever hope to keep up with, her last thoughts on a different dog demon and an adorable human girl before she lost consciousness.


End file.
